Workmen's advocate., 1887-02-19

'Shsiatioh UT olIeTWiSe Io protect the workingman against the superior power of capital or to set limit to the social inequality that is growing from day to day?
 Whoever scrutinzes the history of the nations down to the present day will find that in this direction practically nothing has been done.
 Nobility, clergy and the higher digni- taries of State have separately and to gether exercised an almost exclusive control in public affairs; they have not hesitated to turn to account for them selves and their own interests power and wealth from which all should have prof ited equally. Legislation itself, far from distributing air and sunshine equitably in the economic race, has contributed its large share by conferring privileges on the one hand and interfering with liber- ty on the other, to widen and deepen the chasm between the property holding and the non-possessing classes.
 How then can any one blame the men of toll, if, having awakened to the con. sciousness of their rights and their power they demand from the State a very special consideration of their so long neglected interests? When, in the article of the Zurich Constitution, State protection and State help is especially promised to the workers, there is in- volved in this no infringement upon the principle of equality. There is no question, as some anxious souls fear, of feeding the poor working man at the cost of the rich citizen; still less of form- ing privileged class of workingmen, stipendiaries of the government. It is simply the frank and honorably out spoken recognition by the law-givers of the States duty to do that which has been left undone and to expiate inius- tice committed, so fighting the social wrong for which the State is, in part, responsible. It is only the wished-for fulfillment of that which we have called thede mand for reconciliat;ng and rep arative justice.
 But the Zurich Constitution does not stop with the recognition of the duty and responsibility of the State in general, it specifics in precise terms the means by which alone the working class can now be helped
 'The development of cooperation based upon self-help shall be promoted and assisted"
 The ultimate object of this process of development is: The abolition of wages labor by the gradual transition from the wages system to that of cooper ative labor
 Let us glance now in detail at the demands to be made of the State, [. c., the whole community of individuals.
 First comes unrestricted freedom of opinion and the right to organize and hold meetings at will. The repeal of all laws framed for the purpose of limiting or, as the phrase goes, regulating" liberty. Next, equal right of participa- ton ln public affairs for all, universal, direct suffrage and its corollary, universal direct participation of the people in leg lslation and administration. Further. free compulsory education in public secular institutions and the introduction of universal compulsory military train ing Tn place of standing army and militia. These two demands we com bine because public instruction and the peoples power of defense are most closely connected. For the conduct of war the primary need is money and eff cient soldiers; both are secured by eff cient schools. The wealth of a country depends upon the successful labor of its inhabitants, but work is the more sue cessful the better the workman can cal culate the success of what he undertakes, that is, the more intelligent he is. And the soldier like the workman, will be more sklllful in the performance of his task, the defense of his country. With Us in Germany, as in most of the countries of Europe, nearly half of the nations income Is spent in preparation for war, while education and culture are put of with sums scarcely worth mentioning. Let us reverse the proportion and the peoples wealth will multiply ten-fold without injury to our power of defense. A Minister of Education who under stands his husiness is tho bast M;n;sta,